There Was Something In the Air That Night
by lifeisveryshortsoami
Summary: July 6, 1985. Eric and Donna are finally getting married and Jackie is planning the wedding. However, a certain burnout might distract her from her duties.
1. What A Beautiful Wedding

**Author's Note: Hi! This is my first time writing for That 70's Show (major Jackie/Hyde shipper here!)**

**Anyway, this story takes place after season 8. Sorry if I messed up any details from the show. Confession: I didn't actually watch all of season 8. It just...The show wasn't the same without Jackie and Hyde together and with Eric in Africa and Kelso gone, too.**

**A few notes before you start reading: This is kind of a PG rated version of That 70's Show. I don't swear in real life, so...neither do the characters in my story. And while I may allude to things happening, like people sitting in "the Circle" or "getting it on" with each other, there will be no major details about either topic.**

**Sorry. Feel free to skip over this story.**

**However, if you continue reading, I'd love to know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Saturday July 6, 1985

2:00 PM

Eric Foreman's Backyard

Chapter One

What A Beautiful Wedding

If there was one thing Jackie Burkhart loved more than anything else, it had to be weddings. She especially adored watching weddings she had helped put together. As far as she was concerned, everything was ready for her best friends' big day: the Forman's yard was filled with white folding chairs, which were parted down the middle for when the bride made her appearance. An archway waited near the end of the property line, decorated with red and pink roses. The reception would take place both inside the house and outside, giving guests the option of visiting quietly or dancing on the lawn. Later, once the ceremony was finished and the bride and groom thanked everyone for coming, a horse-drawn carriage would carry them off into the sunset as their honeymoon began.

"What do you think, Mrs. Forman?" Jackie asked, turning to look at her favorite older lady. "Should we have Eric and Donna cut their cake beneath that tree or in your living room? I would suggest the kitchen, but that just feels too cliché. Cake is food and kitchens have food…I feel like it would be better if we tried thinking outside the box."

"I think it would be better if we changed the wedding's theme," Eric spoke up before his mother could answer. "Come on, Jackie. Flowers and unicorns? Do I really look like a 'flowers and unicorns' kind of guy?"

"Shut up, Eric!" Kelso ordered his friend. "Jackie's talking about something much more important than your wedding's stupid theme. She's talking about cake!"

"Who cares about the cake when there are stuffed unicorns everywhere?" Eric shouted. "This isn't what I pictured at all when I thought about my wedding day! I wanted a preacher who dressed up like Darth Vader!"

"And that's exactly why Donna asked me to do most of the planning instead of trusting you to do it," Jackie told the boy she had known for years. She turned her attention back to his mother. "Now, as I was saying, I was thinking maybe the cake-cutting would look better beneath the tree. The green leaves will clash with Donna's red hair, but the shadows the overhang creates will hide Eric's ugly face when guests try snapping pictures."

"Put the cake wherever you think it'll look best, dear," Mrs. Foreman responded. "The details aren't important. I just can't believe my little boy is finally getting married!"

Jackie, Kelso, Fez, and Hyde stepped aside as Mrs. Foreman rushed toward her son, drawing him in for a hug. It seemed like all she ever wanted to do was hug him since the second she found out he and Donna finally decided to get married. Jackie had to give the young man credit. She had never seen one person receive so many hugs before. She was surprised Eric's head hadn't popped off yet from how tight his mother squeezed him.

"What a touching moment!" Fez commented, his eyes shining happily as he watched Mrs. Foreman and Eric. "Look at the way Mrs. Foreman's…" His voice trailed off. "Excuse me. Suddenly I have to go to the bathroom."

As the foreigner left the group, a shorter person took his place. Jackie was nearly knocked off her feet when a tiny body leaped into the air, landing not-so-gracefully in her arms.

"Auntie Jackie!" Betsy Kelso cried out.

"Hey, Betsy!" Jackie greeted, smiling at the six year old as the younger girl wrapped her legs around Jackie's waist. "I thought your mom was taking you roller skating today?"

"We just got back! You should have gone with us, Auntie Jackie. I skated perfectly, but mommy fell down a lot. It was really funny!"

Betsy's entrance reminded Mrs. Foreman that there was more to life than hugging Eric. She finally released him, instead turning to face the young adults standing in her backyard.

"Well, what are you all staring at me for?" she asked, adding in one of her famous laughs. "We have a wedding to plan! Eric, Kelso, you need to go to your final fitting for your tuxes. Jackie, I need your help putting together gift-bags for the guests. You might as well come with us, Betsy!"

"Aw, man!" Kelso complained as his daughter screamed joyfully right in Jackie's ear. "How come Betsy always gets the fun jobs?"

As the group dispersed, Eric and Kelso toward the driveway, the girls in the direction of the house, Jackie asked Betsy to tell her more about the skating trip. The six year old was happy to launch into a recap of her day, starting with when she woke up due to her daddy jumping on her bed, shouting, "You better hurry or I'm eating your pancakes!" Just as she started talking about how scared she was when her mommy first helped her tie the laces on her skates, Mrs. Foreman came to a sudden stop.

"Oh, I almost forgot about you, Steven!" she said, addressing the one person who hadn't moved. "You can start picking out music to play at the reception."

"No problem, Mrs. F!" Hyde replied.

Jackie spun around, her mouth falling open as her eyes met those of the smiling boy. She knew that smile: He was up to no good.

"No," she stated, shaking her head back and forth. "No! Mrs. Foreman, you cannot let Steven choose the music! He'll pick something horrible just to ruin the wedding!"

"My Uncle Hyde wouldn't do that," Betsy protested. "He only listens to cool music."

"Thank you, Bets. At least someone believes in me," Hyde said, the last part of his statement obviously aimed toward Jackie. "Besides, man, the only 'horrible' music I could choose would be disco. Trust me, there will be no disco played at any wedding I ever attend."

"He's lying!"

"If you're so worried about the music," Mrs. Foreman said, "Then why don't you and Steven work together to make a playlist? Betsy will help me with the gift-bags."

"Yay!" Betsy cried. "I get to spend the entire day with Aunt Kitty!"

When the youngster began kicking, trying to free herself from Jackie's grasp, the young adult bent over long enough to set Betsy back on her own two feet. Mrs. Foreman grabbed her hand right away, leading her into the house.

For the first time in almost five years, Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde were alone.

Jackie wasn't sure how long she stood there, her arms folded over her chest. It was impossible to tell exactly what Steven was looking at – he was always wearing those stupid sunglasses – but she had a feeling he was watching her. She stayed as still as she could, unsure what, exactly, was happening. Was Steven upset Mrs. Foreman wanted them to work together? Did the thought of working with her sicken him that much?

_'Maybe,' _a small voice in the back of her mind spoke up, _'Maybe he's remembering everything that used to be.'_

Everything was silent. Jackie had never heard the Earth be so quiet. No birds sang. The nearby road was void of traffic. Even the environment realized something important was taking place between two ex-lovers.

"I don't care what you say," Hyde finally broke the strange trance. "We're not choosing any disco songs!"

Without another word, he stormed off, leaving Jackie behind. She didn't mind his sudden departure or the fact that he didn't wait for her to follow him.

She knew exactly where he was going.

* * *

"What about-,"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"I don't care. The answer is still no."

"Fine. How about-,"

"Nope."

Working with Hyde was like trying to work with a brick wall. That wasn't true, actually. At least a brick wall wouldn't shoot down every idea Jackie threw at it. Hyde, on the other hand, wasn't willing to listen to even one of her song suggestions.

Just like old times, Jackie and Hyde were back in the Basement. Hyde sat in his favorite chair which, Jackie couldn't help from noticing, was moved farther from the couch than it used to be. She tried to forget about it, focusing her attention on the notebook in her lap. So far, the only thing written on it was, 'Jackie's List of Music for Eric and Donna's Wedding'. No titles were listed below the heading.

"You're so frustrating!" Jackie said, wrapping her fingers around a pencil to keep them from attacking Hyde's neck. "I don't know how I ever dated you."

"Same here, Princess," Hyde shot back. "I wonder if I was drunk through our entire relationship. I don't know how else I wouldn't have noticed how annoying you are."

"Oh, you think I'm the annoying one? At least I'm trying to think of a playlist. You're just sitting there shooting down everything I say!"

"Yeah, because I know how awful your taste in music is! You already snuck unicorns into the wedding. Do you really need to ruin Eric's big day even more by choosing music you know he'll hate?"

Biting back her retort, Jackie turned again to the notebook. Tapping her pencil against the pages, she decided it wasn't worth it. She didn't want to waste an entire day arguing with Steven when she had better things she could be doing, things that would help the college-bound Donna with her wedding plans. She climbed to her feet, extending the notebook toward Steven.

"Here," she said. "You're right. You know Eric better than I do. You should choose the music."

When Steven stared at her, refusing to take the pad of paper, Jackie threw it into his lap. Turning her back, she headed toward the stairs that would take her to the Foreman's kitchen. Maybe Mrs. Foreman and Betsy still needed some extra help…

"What songs were you thinking about using?"

His question was all it took to bring a very excited Jackie back to the couch. The smile on her face was way too perky.

"I was thinking we would only use music from the '70's," she explained. "The '70's were when Eric and Donna first realized they had feelings for each other, and it was when they started dating, got engaged for the first time, broke up, got back together, blah blah blah. Since the new decade started, they haven't had so many ups and downs. I mean, obviously they're still in love – although I don't know why Donna is settling for a Star Wars loving freak – but they've been together for the past five years without any major break-ups. Their true love story was from 1976 to 1979."

What Jackie said was true. After Eric returned from Africa, he and Donna picked up their romance right where it left off. They were happily together, this time with a promise that they were going to work through any problems they had instead of breaking up over them. It wasn't long before Eric slipped another ring on Donna's finger and they decided they really wanted to get married, but not until they both finished school. Since Donna was taking a few extra classes because she thought they sounded fun, she asked Jackie to help with the wedding plans.

"Songs of the '70's," Hyde repeated, nodding his head in approval. "Cool."

Now that a theme was chosen, Jackie and Hyde found their playlist growing easily. Somehow, the notebook ended up back in Jackie's hands and she wrote down many of Hyde's suggestions. Some of the songs had lyrics inappropriate for a wedding reception, something Hyde agreed with only after Jackie asked him if he wanted Betsy, his one and only God-daughter, to hear some of the words. A lot of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin songs made the cut. However, no matter how much Jackie pressed the issue, ABBA did not.

An hour or two later, once their list was three pages long, Hyde stole the pencil from Jackie's hand.

"Jackie," he said seriously, "I'm about to ask you to do something I never thought I'd want to do with you again."

She could feel her heart beating faster. No, Jackie was not in love with Steven Hyde. They'd broken up years ago and had both moved on with their lives. She had one year of college left and Steven owned his own record shop. They were as different as two people could be.

Her feelings for Steven were left in the past, but she still wondered what he was about to ask her. A girl could dream, right?

"Jackie," Hyde said again. "Will you do a circle with me?"

Jackie knew she should say no. Her best friend was counting on her to make sure everything was perfect for the wedding and there was still a lot of work that needed to get done. On the other hand, when was she going to get another chance to get high with Steven? He barely said a word to her since she and Fez dated five years ago, even though that relationship ended before it really started. She and Steven hadn't been avoiding each other per say, but they also made sure they were never alone.

There was something about the way he smiled at her, almost like he knew what was going through her mind. That was one of the things Jackie had always loved about Steven when she was with him: he always knew what she was thinking about. Sometimes she had to give him hints, but he caught on before she could explain the whole situation. Steven may be a burnout, but he wasn't a stupid one.

Despite her better judgment, Jackie felt her head nodding in response to Steven's question. Moving at the same time, the two of them ran to their usual seats.

* * *

The Basement was filled with smoke. Jackie felt free, like the burden of the wedding and all the stress that came with planning it had been lifted from her shoulders. She wanted to celebrate the feeling of relief washing through her by spinning around.

Looking at Steven with her red eyes, Jackie shrugged. Why shouldn't she spin around if she felt like spinning around? She stumbled to her feet, nearly knocking her chair over in the process, spread her arms out as far as they would stretch, and started spinning as fast as she could twirl.

"Whee!" she cried out as she spun. "Look at me! I needed to have moves this good back when I was a cheerleader!"

When she knew she couldn't spin anymore without throwing up, Jackie collapsed into her chair. She didn't realize she'd sat down backwards and was straddling the object. Hyde, who suddenly felt very happy the girl had decided to wear a skirt today, smirked proudly.

"Hey," he said, leaning in closer to his ex-girlfriend. "Have I ever told you about the car that runs on water? It's a car…but it runs on water!"

Throwing her head back, Jackie laughed as though Hyde had said the funniest thing in the world. She continued laughing for several seconds before stopping abruptly.

"I'm sorry…What did you say?"

Hyde studied her face for a long moment. "I…don't remember."

Her hair, already messy due to her spinning, was brushed from her eyes as Jackie glanced around the room. She smiled cheekily.

"Remember how Fez always hid in the shower when he wanted to watch people make-out?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the freezer. She slapped her knee, already laughing at whatever she was about to say. "He convinced me to do it with him in there once!"

"You and Fez did it in the shower?" Hyde repeated, laughing almost as hard as Jackie was. She nodded, too busy trying to catch her breath to answer him with words. "I almost forgot the two of you dated! How long did you last anyway? One, maybe two, days?"

"I broke up with him on Valentine's Day of 1980. He bought me chocolate but ended up eating the entire box himself. What kind of a boyfriend buys chocolate for a girl and eats them before he gives them to her?"

"A foreign boyfriend, I guess!"

Jackie and Hyde dissolved into laughter. _'Man!'_ Jackie thought to herself. _'I forgot how much better life is when you use this stuff. Why doesn't everyone get high all the time?'_

"I don't know how much I liked Fez to begin with," Jackie admitted. "I think I was only using him as a rebound guy."

"That's not cool," Hyde reprimanded. "It's not cool to use people."

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? You broke my heart by marrying that stripper. I had to get over you somehow, didn't I?"

"I only married the stripper because you cheated on me with Kelso. Man, I bet you just love being a God-mother to his daughter, don't you, man? You probably like to pretend Betsy is really your and Kelso's daughter instead of Brooke's, man!"

"I never cheated on you with Michael! And Betsy…I love that little girl, but you know as well as I do that Michael and Brooke are trying to work things out. I don't have feelings for him anymore." She smiled suggestively. "I like someone else now."

"Well, I never had feelings for Sam," Hyde clarified. "She was fun to have around – a LOT of fun to have around – but I knew things with her would never last. Yeah…I only kept her around so long because I wanted to make you jealous."

Under normal circumstances, Jackie would have gotten mad if Steven had told her the truth about his stripper wife. As it was though, instead of feeling angry, her eyes widened.

"You wanted to make me jealous?" she asked before bursting into another laughing fit. "That's so funny because your plan actually worked! I hated her with every fiber of my being!"

"That is funny!" Hyde agreed. "Hey, did you know that the only reason I treated you so bad after my wife left was because I was trying to hide my secret feelings for you?"

"No way! I still had secret feelings for you, too!"

If Jackie hadn't been under the influence, the conversation would have taken a turn at this point. However, she wasn't thinking clearly. All her mind shouted was, _'Steven still liked me! Steven still liked me! I wonder if he still likes me now?'_

There was only one way to find out!

"Stand up," she ordered, climbing out of her own chair. She stood in front of Steven, gesturing for him to follow her lead.

"I don't want to."

"Please?" Jackie pleaded. She reached out, linking her fingers with his.

"Whatever," Hyde gave in.

Once he was standing and she was certain he wasn't going to sit back down, Jackie ran to the stereo. Hyde groaned when he heard the first note.

"Please not ABBA," he begged. "Anything but ABBA!"

"Give them a chance, Steven," Jackie chastised, returning to the Zen master who had once taken her on as his grasshopper, pushing their bodies together. "You might find out that you actually like their music."

Hyde refused to look at Jackie as she forced him to move in time with the song. _'Kill me now!' _he thought, willing the floor to open beneath his feet and swallow him up.

_Friday night and the lights are low  
Looking out for the place to go  
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing  
You come in to look for a king  
Anybody could be that guy  
Night is young and the music's high  
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine  
You're in the mood for a dance  
And when you get the chance..._

Something was changing for Hyde, but it wasn't his taste in music. Jackie was barely moving him anymore. She still pressed against him and moved her feet in tiny circles, but instead of pressuring him into dancing, she rested her head against his chest. He had forgotten what it felt like to hold Jackie in his arms, to have her perfect little body all to himself.

"Is something wrong?" Jackie asked, her eyes flying open as she met Hyde's gaze.

"You know, this usually goes better when you don't talk," he reminded her.

Smirking, Jackie closed her eyes again, snuggling even closer to Hyde. He closed his eyes as will, praying for self-control.

_You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen  
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine  
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life  
See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen_

Hyde stopped moving, his muscles going tense. When Jackie pulled away from him, trying to see his face, he did the one thing he had wanted to do to her for years:

He kissed her.

The kiss took Jackie by surprise, but it didn't take her long to start kissing him back. Neither of them could believe how great it felt to be with each other again, to have their lips pressed together as their tongues fought for domination. It felt wrong, like they shouldn't know each other this way anymore, like their lips were never supposed to meet again.

As wrong as it felt, it was hotter than ever before.

It didn't take long for Jackie to fall backwards onto the couch, somehow never breaking contact with Hyde. He followed her, landing on top of the tiny girl. Their hands began roaming and first his shirt wriggled its way to the floor, followed closely by Jackie's underwear.

In that moment, Jackie and Hyde became one.

* * *

A month later, as Jackie stood at the front of the wedding party while Donna and Eric exchanged vows, she found her eyes landing on Eric's best man. Steven sure did look good in his tux. She remembered when she used to imagine him wearing one while she wore a white dress…those days were long gone now.

She knew she and Steven had no future together. She was the spoiled rich girl who always got everything she wanted. He was the boy from the other side of the tracks. There was no way they were meant to be together.

Still, it was a shame, really…

She couldn't risk telling Steven that her period was late. He would freak out on her, saying there was no way she could be pregnant with his child and it wasn't his fault she was sleeping with too many guys to know who the real father was. Did he even remember their time together or did the memories leave after the effects of his stash wore off? Could he recall the time they spent in the Basement alone or was it nothing but a blur to him?

Jackie shook her head, trying to empty it of all thoughts. Today wasn't about her and her petty problems. Today was about celebrating Eric and Donna's love for each other. She had to focus on the wedding. She'd invested too much time into this ceremony to ignore everything she'd worked so hard to make perfect.

_'Besides,' _she reminded herself, _'A missed period doesn't necessarily mean I'm pregnant. Maybe I was just stressing out more than I thought I was about this wedding. Stress can cause a girl to be late, can't it?'_

"Jackie," Hyde hissed loudly. "What's wrong with you? The ceremony's over. We're supposed to be heading down the aisle behind Donna and Foreman!"

"Sorry," Jackie apologized, jumping with surprise when she saw Hyde was right, the vows were done, the kiss had already happened, and Eric and Donna were almost to the house. She quickly linked her arm through Hyde's. "I got distracted for a minute."

"Shut up!" Hyde responded, trying not to move his lips. "You're making us look bad."

They walked down the aisle at a brisk pace, Hyde trying his best to stay Zen, Jackie exchanging smiles with the guests. He was mad at her just for zoning out. What would he say if she told him she thought she might be pregnant?

That was a question she would never know the answer to. Steven Hyde wasn't going to find out about her tiny little scare.

After all, Jackie Burkhart knew how to keep a secret.

* * *

**Well? How much did it suck for a first time That 70's Show writer? Let me know in a review?**


	2. Tell Me Only What I Want to Hear

**I finished writing this story but never uploaded the rest of the chapters because I thought the story was kind of stupid. Maybe you guys will disagree?**

**Either way, I figured I would be a nice person and upload the rest for anyone who's interested in the story.**

**Read and review?**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing.**

* * *

Tuesday September 10, 1985

5:35 PM

Michael Kelso and Brooke's Apartment

Chapter Two

Tell Me Only What I Want to Hear

"Betsy!" Brooke called, her fingers fumbling as she tried putting in her earring. She had only gotten her ears pierced a few weeks ago and already hated her decision to do so. It was so hard sticking the stupid earring through the hole! "Betsy, have you finished your dinner yet, sweetie?"

In the kitchen, out of her mother's eyesight and hearing zone, little Betsy was not interested in eating the food left on her plate. Her daddy was showing her how to play a brand new game: Throw all the green beans mommy wanted you to eat into the garbage can. Whoever made the most shots would win the game.

"Betsy?" Brooke asked a second time. "Michael, are you with Betsy?"

"She's fine, Brooke," Kelso assured her. "You just worry about making yourself pretty. I'll take care of everything out here."

Kelso and Brooke were going out on a real date. They rarely left the house without taking their daughter with them, so the idea of being alone without having a spy along excited Kelso. He loved his daughter with all his heart, but he also loved touching Brooke in very inappropriate ways. It would be nice to cop a feel without hearing, "Michael, not in front of you-know-who!"

"I'm out of beans!" Betsy complained, staring down at her empty plate.

"So am I!" Kelso stated. "Let's go see who won!"

He and Betsy climbed from their chairs, sprinting to the garbage can. Green beans littered the floor, only a handful of them actually resting in the trash. Betsy looked around at the mess, crinkling her brow.

"Daddy…How are we going to know who won?"

"I told you the rules when we first started playing, Bets. Whichever one of us shot the most beans into the garbage won!"

"How do we know who shot which beans?"

His smile fell as Kelso realized the little girl was right. There was no way to tell which beans he had thrown versus the ones he hadn't. All of them looked exactly the same.

"I know!" he cried, snapping his fingers. "Let's pick up all the beans, write our initials on them, and play again!"

Father and daughter were just getting down on their hands and knees to clean up when the doorbell sounded through the apartment. Betsy jumped to her feet, shouting, "I'll get it!" as she ran to the door.

"Don't forget to ask who it is before you let them in!" Brooke's voice warned.

"Who is it?" Betsy asked breathlessly the moment she reached her destination, her hand already resting on the knob.

"It's Mr. Fluffycakes!"

Squealing with delight, Betsy threw open the door, instantly reaching for the stuffed unicorn the new visitor held in her hands. The young girl hugged the unicorn tightly to her chest.

"Thanks, Auntie Jackie!"

"No problem, kiddo," Jackie laughed, ruffling her God-daughter's hair. "So, what fun actives do you have planned for us tonight while your parents are gone?"

That was all it took to set Betsy off. She started listing everything she had planned for the evening, beginning with make-overs and ending with a tea party. Jackie listened to her and even added her own ideas, most of which brought an even bigger grin to Betsy's face. The two girls only stopped gossiping when they heard Brooke cry out, "What happened to my kitchen?!"

"Betsy did it!" Kelso exclaimed.

A few minutes later, Kelso and Brooke joined Jackie and Betsy in the doorway. Kelso was more than ready to leave. He practically pushed Brooke into the hallway, but that was as far as they got before the mother refused to take another step.

"Wow, Brooke!" Jackie said, examining the dress the other woman was wearing. "You look great!"

"Thanks!" Brooke replied, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Thank you so much for baby-sitting tonight, Jackie. We should be home around midnight-,"

"Unless I get lucky," Kelso cut in. "If that happens, we'll be back tomorrow morning."

"We'll be back before tomorrow morning," Brooke promised. "But just in case we aren't, there are some extra blankets in the closet. You're more than welcome to sleep on the couch. Um, let me think…Betsy's bedtime is at nine o'clock, don't let her convince you otherwise. There are some c-o-o-k-i-e-s in the pantry in case she wants a snack later. Please make sure she cleans up the green beans she so kindly threw around in the kitchen. Emergency numbers are on the counter, which include her doctor, the Hub, Mr. and Mrs. Foreman-,"

"Brooke," Kelso interrupted. "We've let Jackie baby-sit before. She already knows everything you're telling her!"

"I know," Brooke sighed. "I just hate leaving my baby with anyone who isn't me."

"You let me baby-sit all the time and I'm sure Jackie's a lot more qualified than I am!"

Brooke and Jackie exchanged looks at Kelso's statement. Of course he had grown up since his days in the Basement, but still…what he said about baby-sitting was probably true.

"Do you have any questions before we take off?" Brooke offered.

Jackie wasn't sure how to answer that. Yes, she had something she wanted to ask Brooke, but she wasn't sure if now was the right time or place. Maybe she should just let it slide for the moment. Then again, she wasn't going to have too many more chances…

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you for a second," she said. "You know…Alone."

Both girls turned to Kelso.

"Go ahead, ladies. I don't mind eavesdropping on your conversation!" he said, motioning for them to begin talking. When Brooke and Jackie folded their arms over their chests, he knew he lost this battle. "Fine. I'll watch Betsy while you talk. Just know that you're eating into your own baby-sitting money, Jackie! I'm not going to pay you when I'm the one doing all the work!"

They waited for the door to close behind Kelso as he reentered the apartment, then walked down the hall just in case Kelso decided to press his ear against the door so he could hear what they were saying. This was a conversation Jackie didn't want anyone overhearing, especially Michael since he would probably tell everyone her news. Gossip flew around Point Place too fast. If Michael knew about the baby, Hyde would know by the end of the night.

Jackie wrung her hands together, staring at the wall, the floor, the strange spider on the ceiling. She couldn't look into Brooke's eyes. She should have thought things through before asking to speak to the other mother. How was she supposed to put her dilemma into words? How do you tell someone that your life is over because you're pregnant with your ex-boyfriend's child?

"Who's the father?"

Jackie stared at the girl in shock. How did she know?!

"Let's face it: you've never come to me for advice before. I'm the only person you know who's dealt with having a baby out of wedlock. Who else are you going to turn to?" Brooke shrugged, giving Jackie a soft smile. "Besides, you've had a certain glow about you lately."

"Please don't tell anyone!" Jackie pleaded. "If anyone else finds out, I'm dead!"

"Ah, so the father is some deadbeat who won't come around even after he knows the truth, huh? Do I know him or was he just a one-night stand?"

"He was just a one-night stand, but you know him, too."

Brooke's brow furrowed as she tried to think of who Jackie could be talking about. From what Michael had told her, Jackie hadn't really had a steady boyfriend since breaking up with Fez. Maybe she and Fez got back together for one night? Possible, although Brooke had to admit that she doubted Fez would do something like that. He loved having his ladies, but not ones who had previously broken his heart. She knew the father couldn't be Michael – he put his cheating days behind him long ago – but who else was there?

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The scruffy looking man from the Basement, the one Michael declared the God-father of Betsy, the one Jackie had been dating when Brooke first met the group and later on after Betsy was born. The burnout who always thought 'the man' was out to get him.

"Oh, no," Brooke said, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. "He didn't even care enough about you to commit to your relationship when you wanted to move to Chicago. There's no way he'll commit now that there's a baby involved. Jackie, please tell me the father isn't…"

"It's true, Brooke," Jackie nodded, trying to hold back her tears. "I am carrying Steven Hyde's child."

Brooke couldn't think of a better way to comfort her friend than to open her arms, allowing Jackie to rest her head on her chest. Jackie did just that, unable to control the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. The words were out in the open now, which meant they had to be true and there was nothing she could do to go back and prevent her time with Steven from ever happening.

It had happened, everything had happened, and now she had to suffer the consequences. Consequences that would be around for the next eighteen years, maybe even longer than that.

Steven was going to kill her if he ever found out about the baby.

* * *

Even though the last thing she wanted to do was baby-sit, Jackie told Brooke to go out and enjoy her evening alone with Michael. Brooke hesitated, asking whether or not Jackie was sure she would be alright, but Kelso grabbed her elbow, telling her not to be so worried and that Jackie and Betsy were going to be fine. Brooke sent one last look over her shoulder as Kelso guided her down the hall. Jackie and Betsy stood together, both girls waving goodbye. Whatever sorrow she'd felt moments ago was erased from Jackie's face, replaced with a cool smile.

She had let Steven ruin too much of her past already. He wasn't going to spoil her night now, too. She and Betsy were going to have so much fun!

"Hey, Betsy," Jackie asked, bending over so she was level with the six year old. "How would you like to go for a car ride with your Auntie Jackie?"

"I love car rides!" Betsy responded.

Jackie cleaned up the green beans in the kitchen, grabbed the box of cookies Brooke had told her about, and folded the piece of paper with all the phone numbers, tucking it into her pocket. Ushering Betsy to the door, she made sure everything was locked before leaving the apartment behind.

Okay…so maybe she would let Steven ruin a tiny bit of her evening. She wanted to know Donna's opinion about the situation. After all, Donna was still her best friend. She didn't know a lot about fashion or the difference between a good boyfriend and Eric, but her advice was usually better than anything Jackie could think of on her own.

She was still going to enjoy her time with Betsy. She and Betsy were going to do that make-over and tea party. Jackie just wanted to settle a few matters first.

* * *

Eric Foreman thought his days of being bossed around were over now that he was a married man. However, the moment Jackie stepped foot inside his house, demanding to speak with Donna, he was put in charge of Betsy and ordered to stay out of the living room until he was told otherwise.

"This is boring," Betsy proclaimed less than five minutes after Eric let her into the bedroom he and Donna shared. "There's nothing to do!"

"Have you ever tried being quiet?" Eric asked. "I heard that's fun!"

Betsy wasn't falling for it. She plopped down on the bed, messing up the blankets Eric had straightened out earlier in the day. Her eyes landed on Eric.

"Tell me a story!" she said firmly.

"I don't know any stories-,"

"Tell me a story!"

"Alright, I'll tell you a story! A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…"

"I want to color."

The six year old jumped off the bed, running over to Eric's dresser. She began pulling open the drawers one by one, throwing his clothes on the floor. Eric scrambled over to her, quickly pulling her away from his belongings.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. "Donna is going to blame me for this mess, you know."

"I'm looking for your markers," Betsy explained.

"I don't have any markers."

"Do you have crayons?"

"Nope, no crayons, either."

"Don't you have anything fun here?"

Looking around for something he could give Betsy, Eric's eyes landed on Mr. Fluffycakes. He picked up the toy, dangling it before Betsy's eyes.

"Look at me!" he said, trying to sound like a unicorn. "I'm a unicorn and I…" When Betsy gave him a blank stare, he sighed. "I'm a unicorn and I sound like a total idiot."

"I need to use the bathroom."

While Betsy was gone, Eric vowed to extract revenge on Jackie. He and Donna wanted to have kids someday, but since they were newlyweds who just bought their own house in Point Place not far from the houses they'd grown up in, the word 'baby' hadn't even come up. How was he supposed to entertain Betsy when he didn't have one thing for her to play with?

"Uncle Eric!" Betsy called as she came out of the bathroom. "I found a toy in the cabinet beneath the sink!"

"That is not a toy!" Eric explained, grabbing the item from her hands, throwing it back into the room, and shutting the door before Betsy could ask any more questions. "Why don't we play Hide and Seek, Betsy? You can hide…and I'll seek you!"

"Okay!" Betsy agreed. "But how about you hide and I seek you instead?"

Eric shrugged. What was the harm in letting her search for him instead of doing things the other way around? It was still the same game, right?

"I'm only counting to ten, so you better hide fast!" Betsy explained, covering her eyes behind her hands. "One…Two…Three…"

She peeked between her fingers, smirking when she saw that her plan had worked. Uncle Eric was out of sight. Finally, she could sneak into the living room without anyone stopping her!

Auntie Jackie and Aunt Donna were facing the other direction when Betsy snuck up on them. She ducked down before they could spot her, hiding behind the couch her Aunts were sitting on. Staying as quiet as possible, she listened in on their conversation.

"I can't believe it, Jackie," Aunt Donna was saying. "How could you do something so stupid?"

"I don't know!" Auntie Jackie whined. "We were working on stuff for your wedding and he asked me if I wanted to do the circle with him. I was stressed out from all the wedding planning; I thought the circle would help me calm down."

_'Circle?'_ Betsy asked herself. _'What's the circle? And what stupid thing did Auntie Jackie do?'_

"Well, you're really calm now, aren't you?" Aunt Donna yelled. She placed her hand on her forehead, forcing herself to stop getting so upset. "Ok. Walk me through this one more time. You and Hyde were in the circle. How did that lead to…you know…the thing growing in your stomach?"

_'There's something growing in Auntie Jackie's stomach?!' _Betsy thought. _'I wonder if she swallowed a watermelon seed. I heard that can make a whole watermelon grow inside you!'_

"I'm a little fuzzy on all the details," Auntie Jackie admitted. "I remember talking about Fez and how the two of us broke up…And we talked about Sam, the stripper Steven married years ago…And then…I don't know. He just looked so hot and I hadn't been alone with him in forever and all the feelings I thought I'd gotten rid of came flooding back! We started dancing and his body was pressed against mine and before I knew it, he was kissing me."

Betsy stuck her tongue out in disgust. Ew. Kissing was gross!

"Your feelings came rushing back just like that," Aunt Donna repeated. "That's hard to believe, Jackie. Don't you remember everything he did to you in the past? How can you still love him after all of that?"

"I never said I love him," Auntie Jackie protested. "I just find him attractive."

"I hope you find him more than just attractive," Aunt Donna said. "There's a chance the baby could look just like him and remember, you have to stare into that face for the rest of your life, no matter what Hyde decides to do about the two of you. Hyde could be completely out of your life, and you'll still think about him every day when you see your son or daughter."

"Don't you think I know that, Donna? Don't you think it's crossed my mind that Steven won't want anything to do with me after he finds out?"

Aunt Donna let out another sigh. "So…Hyde doesn't know yet? He has no idea that you're pregnant or that he's the father of the baby?"

_'A baby!' _Betsy repeated. _'Uncle Hyde and Auntie Jackie are going to have a baby! I have to tell Uncle Hyde the good news!'_

As soundlessly as possible, Betsy crawled from the living room. Neither Aunt seemed to notice as she headed toward the front door or when she opened said door. She slipped outside unnoticed, which was good news for her, bad news for her baby-sitter.

"Look, I feel bad for you, I really do," Donna went on with her and Jackie's conversation, "But someday, you're going to have to learn how to take care of your own problems."

"Wait a minute!" Jackie cried out as her best friend started to rise to her feet. "You're not going to help me at all? That's so selfish of you, Donna!"

The redhead placed her hands on her hips. "I'm the selfish one? Um, you're the one who came over without calling to find out if Eric and I were busy, dumped the kid you were supposed to be baby-sitting off on my husband, and now you're mad at me because you slept with Hyde and have to suffer the consequences of your actions for the first time in your life. How does that make me selfish?"

"Forget about it," Jackie sighed. "If my problems are such a burden on you and your precious new married life, then I'll leave."

"Jackie, I never said you were a burden-,"

"Betsy!" Jackie cried out, cutting off Donna's apology. "Betsy, we're leaving now!"

The only reason Jackie came over was because she thought Donna was her best friend. Best friends were supposed to help each other out of sticky situations, not accuse them of acting selfish. If Donna wanted to insult her and tell her how stupid her actions were, then that was fine with Jackie. She didn't need Donna's sympathy anyway. She would figure out what to do about the baby on her own.

The living room was silent as Jackie and Donna waited for Betsy to arrive. However, once they finally heard footsteps, Eric was the one who joined them.

"Oh," he said, looking directly at Jackie. "I thought you had already left."

"I'm not going anywhere without Betsy," Jackie scoffed. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

"Betsy. Where is Betsy?"

Eric's expression was confused as he took a second to look around the room. "She never came when you called her?"

"Oh, no," Donna moaned, already knowing exactly where this conversation was heading. "You lost Betsy, Eric?"

"You lost Betsy?!" Jackie slugged Eric's arm. "How could you lose her? Michael and Brooke are going to murder me!"

"It's not my fault!" Eric defended his honor, rubbing his arm where Jackie's fist had hit him. "We were playing Hide and Seek. I guess she won."

Rolling their eyes, Jackie and Donna took off in opposite directions, both of them shouting Betsy's name as they searched every nook and cranny in the house. Jackie could feel her heart racing every time she pulled back a curtain or looked under a bed. Where could Betsy be? If she was close enough to hear them, wouldn't she respond? What if she wasn't even in the house?

"Did you find her?" Jackie asked half an hour later when she and Donna met up again.

"Not yet," Donna replied, already reaching for her keys. "Eric and I will check out the Hub. Why don't you try Mr. and Mrs. Foreman's house? She's a six year old girl who doesn't know how to drive. If she did get out, she's someplace that's within walking distance."

Jackie nodded, silently agreeing to the plan. She would have spoken if her throat wasn't so constricted with fear.

As she climbed into her car, Jackie took a moment to shake her head. If she couldn't even manage taking care of Betsy for one night, how on earth was she going to handle mothering her own baby?

_'That's not important right now,'_ Jackie told herself, taking a deep breath as she started her engine. _'I need to focus on finding Betsy.'_

Hopefully Betsy would be at the Foreman's house. Jackie didn't know how much more panicking she could handle before her heart would explode.

* * *

Hyde was in the back room when he heard the bell, signaling the arrival of a customer. He was surprised. Usually he didn't get customers at this time of night. Who wanted to shop for records when it was late enough to be inside listening to records with that special person?

Knowing it was his duty to greet the newcomer, Hyde stepped out from the room and into the main store. He wasn't sure who he expected to see; probably either some old person who knew nothing about music or a geeky guy who wasn't able to find a date. The last thing he expected was Betsy.

Kelso's daughter was looking through a bin of disco albums, causally browsing the titles like she showed up in random music shops without a chaperone every day. Hyde did a quick survey of the shop, making sure he wasn't overlooking an adult who had slipped in with the young girl. Just as he thought: the place was empty.

If Betsy was by herself, that meant whoever was supposed to be watching her had lost her. Hyde smirked. He was in for a fun evening.

"Hey, Bets!" he called out, making Betsy jump at the sound of his voice.

"Uncle Hyde!"

Normally, Hyde hated hugs. He wasn't a touchy-feely kind of guy, not even when he was dating someone. Betsy was special. No one could resist her curly brown hair, shining brown eyes, and awesome smile. Someone as cute as Betsy Kelso deserved to be hugged every day.

Hyde opened his arms wide as Betsy ran to him. She giggled when he lifted her from the ground, setting her down on the front counter. Her face was almost level with his.

"What are you doing at my shop?" he asked her. "Did your dad finally scare you out of the house?"

"Nah," Betsy told him, waving off his suggestion. "My mommy and daddy are out on a date tonight."

"That's cool…Did they finally decide you were old enough to stay home alone?"

Hyde had to admit it: he was a little disappointed Kelso wasn't the one left in charge of Betsy. He would have loved to burn his friend for losing his own daughter.

"I wasn't home alone," Betsy explained.

"Then who's supposed to be watching you right now?"

Betsy opened her mouth to tell Hyde the name, then changed her mind. "I can't tell you."

"What?" This was the first time a six year old had ever tried outsmarting him. "What do you mean you can't tell me? I'm your Uncle Hyde. You can tell me anything!"

Looking from left to right like she wanted to make sure no one else was listening, Betsy leaned in closer to her God-father.

"I have a secret!"

Apparently, if Hyde was going to get any information from the girl, he needed to play along with whatever game she was trying to get him to play. Placing one hand on the counter beside her, he leaned in closer as well.

"What's your secret, Bets?"

The younger girl opened her mouth to reply, but found a laughing fit leaving her lips instead. Hyde waited patiently. Eventually she would grow tired of laughing and tell him whatever the secret was. Then, maybe he could get her to tell him who her baby-sitter was.

"Come on, Bets," he encouraged her. "I'm sure it's not really all that funny."

"You're having a baby!"

Hyde froze.

"A – A baby?" he repeated. He let out his own nervous laugh. "You're crazy, Betsy. Only girls can have babies."

"Really?" Betsy asked him, waiting for his confirming nod. "Oh…Then Auntie Jackie is having a baby!"

If Hyde had been trying to drink something, he would have done a spit-take. Jackie was pregnant? Jackie Burkhart was going to have a baby? The annoying little rich girl who always lived a perfect life and believed in true love had gotten herself knocked up?

Hyde was wrong: Betsy's secret was funny! He felt bad for the poor guy stuck fathering her child!

"That's great, Betsy!" he said, clapping the girl on her shoulder. "Did Auntie Jackie tell you who the baby's daddy is?"

Betsy's eyebrow rose as she studied Hyde's face. "You're the daddy."

This time, Hyde's laughter caught in his throat. He was thankful his sunglasses were covering his eyes because he was sure they'd just grown ten times their normal size.

Hyde heard the door opening behind him, but he didn't turn around to greet the customer. He heard her voice as Jackie ran to his side, rushing to throw her arms about Betsy's neck, telling the girl how much trouble she was in for leaving and saying how happy she was that Betsy was okay. Betsy glared at Hyde as though it was his fault she'd been found.

Through the entire exchange, Hyde stared at his ex-girlfriend. She didn't look different. Her stomach was still tiny and flat, like it had always been. Tears littered her cheeks, but he knew those were tears of joy over Betsy, not grief over a pregnancy. Her long hair fell into her face while she hugged her God-daughter tightly.

Yes, Jackie was still beautiful. She was still as beautiful today as she was the night he broke up with her.

Beauty could only take her so far though. What if Betsy was right? Could Jackie really be pregnant? Was the baby really his?

Maybe Betsy was lying. Maybe she misunderstood Jackie. Why would Jackie have been telling her about a pregnancy in the first place?

"Thank you so much, Steven," Jackie said, her voice breaking Hyde from his train of thoughts. "I thought I was never going to find her."

Under usual circumstances, Hyde would have teased Jackie, asking how she managed to lose Betsy. However, tonight, he didn't feel like joking around.

"It's cool," he simply said.

Hyde watched as Jackie struggled to lift the child, making sure she had a tight hold on her before turning to exit the store. _'Just let them go,' _he told himself. _'Forget Betsy said anything and let them leave without asking. You know you'll regret it if you ask, man!'_

"Hey, Jackie!"

She turned around at the last second, readjusting her grip on Betsy. "Yeah?"

"Was there, uh…" Hyde struggled to find the right words. "Was there anything you wanted to tell me?"

"You did great at the wedding!" Jackie told him, flashing a huge smile.

The two girls finally left the shop, Jackie hurried to her car, and, after waving to Hyde one last time through the windshield, she high-tailed it from the parking lot.

Hyde knew Jackie Burkhart better than he knew any other girl. He noticed the way she faltered before answering his question, how her eyes flickered around the room, when her jaw opened and closed several times before finally speaking…

Jackie was hiding something from him.

He hoped that something wasn't a baby.


	3. Tall Tales

**Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm so glad you guys don't hate this story! You have no idea how happy I was when I saw your reviews and all of them asked for me to post the rest of the chapters. Thanks so much for being so supportive!**

**I know this is a fast update, but that's because I figured you guys would want to know Hyde's reaction.**

**All the updates probably won't be this fast. I'm going to edit before posting, maybe add in some stuff...**

**I'll be happy to take any suggetstions/tips/advice you guys have for me!**

**Once again, thanks for the reviews! Send more of them, please?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Still.**

**PS. This chapter begins the same night Bets told Uncle Hyde about the baby.**

**And...GO!**

* * *

Wednesday September 11, 1985

3:20 AM

The Basement

Chapter Three

Tall Tales

Hyde couldn't stop thinking about Jackie. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face. He could hear her laughter; feel the warmness of her body against his whenever she sat in his lap, never even looking back at him to make sure she was allowed to sit there. Donna never sat on Eric's lap – not that he could blame her for that one. She wasn't tiny the way Jackie was and Foreman wasn't built the way Hyde was. When Jackie dated Kelso, she never sat on his lap, either. It was a special privilege reserved for only Hyde.

He missed the days when his heart would race whenever Jackie was within his sight. The days when he would stare at the Basement door through his sunglasses so no one knew what he was looking at, waiting for his chick to join the rest of the group. Somehow, she had a way of making his day better, like he didn't know how to be happy unless her perky face was around to guide him in the right direction. She was annoying and loud and spoiled and rich, everything he thought he would hate in a girl, but the little vixen knew her way around a mouth. Her kisses were unlike anything Hyde had ever tasted. Even when he was with Sam, the stripper who knew more about sex than Jackie could ever wish to find out, he still found himself longing for Jackie's slender body to be the one beneath his, for her tongue to be the one drifting down his throat. There was just something special about Jackie.

Like all high school relationships, the one between Jackie and Hyde had its ups and downs. They spent so much of their time fighting, sometimes Hyde found himself wondering why he stayed with her. She wanted him to succeed in life. He wanted to lie around on the couch all day. She wanted him wear a suit to work. He was more comfortable in his jeans and t-shirt. She thought she could sign him up for things without asking him first and he thought he could blow her off by refusing to leave his bedroom.

She wanted to know there was a slight chance they would end up together. He wasn't even able to give her that much.

Hyde wasn't sure when he realized he was willing to marry Jackie. He knew he was in love with her after cheating on her with that nurse. His heartfelt apology in the car followed by another one in Donna's bedroom when he finally said, "I love you, Jackie,"…He had never said those words to another girl. He was saving them for when he met the right one, the girl he could say them to knowing that he wasn't lying to her. Jackie was that girl.

Of course it hurt when Hyde travelled to Chicago just to find Kelso standing in Jackie's hotel room, dressed in nothing except a towel. He felt as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest. The wedding band in his pocket, the one Jackie still didn't know about, felt like it weighed a thousand tons. Jackie and Kelso were back together. After all the times she told him he had nothing to worry about, that she loved him more than she had ever loved Michael Kelso, his gut had been right all along. She really was still in love with her ex.

When he ran away to Vegas, Hyde had his goal in mind: he was going to hurt Jackie. She had no idea how much it hurt to know she was sleeping with one of his best friends, but she would find out. He would sleep with somebody too, maybe a whole lot of somebody's! Jackie's heart was going to hurt just as much as his.

His plan went awry. He never intended to get married.

He saw Jackie's face the first time she saw Sam. As much as he wanted to hurt her, this was taking things too far. His ex was appalled by the other girl! Hyde recognized the look in her eyes: she was mad as heck. She wanted nothing more than to claw Sam's eyes right out of her skull.

He ruined everything by marrying Sam. He and Jackie had no chance of a future together and they both knew it. He decided to pretend he was ok, both for his own sake and for Jackie's. He knew she had a hard time getting over people and it would only be harder for her if he acted like he still had feelings. She needed to understand that he wasn't going to come running back to her. He was a married man and no matter how much he was still in love with Jackie, those feelings had to be pushed aside.

Sam wasn't his wife now though…

No. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't walk down the 'Jackie' path again. There was too much history between them, too many feelings that had gotten hurt. Besides, what he did to her was horrible, an act he was certain Jackie could never forgive him for. He ran off and married another girl then rubbed that marriage in his ex's face. How could he even ask for her forgiveness?

It wasn't like he was the only one who had some apologizing to do anyway. What about Jackie? Sure, she and Kelso both claimed nothing happened between them, that he was only in the hotel room because Jackie didn't want to be alone in Chicago, but were they telling the truth? If that was Kelso's only reason for being there, why did he have nothing but the towel covering him? That was the part of the story that made no sense whatsoever to Hyde.

Jackie hurt Hyde by sharing her hotel room with another man. Not just another man: her ex-boyfriend and one of Hyde's best friends, an ex-boyfriend who spent years trying to steal Jackie away from him. Hyde hurt Jackie by marrying another girl. It felt like they should've been considered even now.

Hyde knew that in Jackie's eyes, things were far from 'even'. If something had been about to happen between her and Kelso, it would've been a one-night stand. She didn't run off to Vegas, get drunk, and marry the first half-way good looking guy she saw. Plus, she didn't spend the next year rubbing said marriage in Hyde's face, trying to break him.

And what about this baby, if Betsy was right and Jackie really was pregnant? Was it really his baby? He couldn't remember sleeping with her – not clearly, anyway. It was possible he did something under the influence. That was how he ended up married to a stripper, after all. But why him? She and Kelso had been together more times than he liked to think about and she never ended up pregnant. Why was he the lucky guy who slept with her one time in a six-year span and ended up with a baby?

How would a baby change their relationship? Would Jackie expect him to be her boyfriend again? No, knowing her, she would probably beg him to marry her. Well, she had another thing coming if she thought that was going to happen! Baby or no baby, he wasn't in love with her anymore. He had moved on years ago.

Well, he liked to think he'd moved on years ago, that is. Truth be told, Hyde wasn't sure what he and Jackie were nowadays. Since her relationship with Fez, he hadn't seen her around very often. Eric spent most of his time off at college, but occasionally he visited his parents. Whenever he was around, the gang reformed in his Basement. Sure, Hyde saw Jackie during those times, but the two of them always made sure to avoid each other. Did she even consider him a friend anymore or were they simply acquaintances who used to make out?

Why did Hyde care what Jackie thought about him in the first place?

Hyde sighed as he leaned back, slamming his head against his pillow.

"When did my life get so screwed up?" he asked the silent room.

Knowing he wasn't falling asleep anytime soon, Hyde grabbed his jacket. He had to find out whether or not Betsy was right.

For the first time in years, he headed to the Burkhart's house.

* * *

How could one little girl have so much energy at three o'clock in the morning?!

"Betsy!" Jackie shouted over the music the six year old had turned on. "You need to go to bed! Your parents could get home at any minute and if they find out I let you stay up this late, we're both in trouble!"

"I won't be in trouble," Betsy argued. "You're the baby-sitter. You're the one in charge."

Jackie was going to rebuttal, but honestly, the music was giving her a headache. She had to turn it off before-

Someone was knocking on the door.

"You know, I hope this is a kidnapper," Jackie told her God-daughter. "I'd give you up without a fight."

"Mommy and daddy would find me!"

"What makes you think they would want you back?"

Betsy's eyes widened in fear while Jackie's lips curled into a triumphant smile. At least she's gotten a tiny piece of revenge for Betsy's awful behavior.

An older man stood on the doorstep when Jackie finally answered his obnoxious knocking. He was bald, his stomach hung out way too far, and the red robe he wore barely covered anything. Jackie scrunched up her nose in disgust. Michael and Brooke had some ugly neighbors apparently.

"I've had several complaints about obsessive noise coming from this apartment," he said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to turn the music off."

"I'd be happy to turn the music off," Jackie consented. "I'll just-,"

Betsy wriggled her way into the doorframe, studying the large man.

"Auntie Jackie," she said, tugging on Jackie's sleeve. "Why is that man so fat?"

"Kids!" Jackie laughed, quickly shoving Betsy behind her. "They just say the cutest things sometimes, don't they?"

The fat man glared. "Turn the music off."

As soon as she closed the door, Jackie ran to the speaker system and punched the power button. As suddenly as it had started, the music stopped. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Look at me! I'm a bird, Auntie Jackie!"

Betsy was standing on the edge of the couch, her arms spread out on either side as she flapped her imagery wings. Not wanting the ugly fat man to come back because of the noise Betsy would make when she collided with the floor, Jackie rushed forward, lifting the girl into her arms before she could jump.

"That's it! You're going to bed whether you want to or not!" Jackie ordered, carrying Betsy to the bathroom. "Which toothbrush is yours?"

"I don't want to brush my teeth! Toothpaste is gross!"

Jackie was going to tell her she needed to brush her teeth, but she ended up shaking her head. It wasn't worth the fight.

"Fine, don't brush. I don't care. Every tooth will fall out of your mouth by the time you turn sixteen, but if you're okay with that, then so am I."

Getting Betsy in her bed was the hardest part of the evening. All she wanted to do was run around her bedroom, screaming that she wasn't tired. When Jackie eventually caught her, she tried picking the girl up and throwing her onto the mattress. However, Betsy kicked, screamed, and bit, preventing Jackie from disposing of her body. Every time she tried to throw her, Betsy hung on all the tighter.

"Need some help?"

Betsy shut up at the sound of the new voice. While moments ago she'd been trying to stay in Jackie's arms, now she was struggling to get down.

"Uncle Hyde!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at the newcomer the moment Jackie's embrace was no longer restraining her.

"Betsy!" Jackie said firmly. "I told you it was time for bed!"

"I'm not tired yet!"

"Now, Betsy…" Hyde knelt down on his knee, bringing himself eye-level with the little girl. "You're not giving your Auntie Jackie a rough time, are you? Because remember…I told you to only give her a rough time when I'm around to watch!"

Hyde and Betsy laughed at their joke, but Hyde stopped when he noticed Jackie wasn't joining in. She looked beat. Her hair was frizzy, dark circles were under her eyes, and he could tell she was angry by the way she placed her hands on her hips. Maybe it was time he tried helping her instead of encouraging Betsy.

"Alright, that's enough play time for you," he said, rising to his full height. "Auntie Jackie said it's time for bed, so it's time for bed."

"Aww!" Betsy whined, attaching herself to Hyde's leg. "I want to stay up as late as you, Uncle Hyde!"

"I'll tell you what: the next time your parents ask me to baby-sit, we'll stay up all night drinking beer and watching cable, alright?" Hyde promised.

That was all it took to convince Betsy to crawl into her bed. One little promise from her Uncle Hyde and she was ready to fall asleep. Where had Hyde been six hours ago when Jackie first tried to put Betsy to bed?

Hyde snuck out of the room, figuring Betsy might cooperate now that she was realizing how tired she really was. Besides, he wasn't good at the whole parenting thing. Jackie would be much better at tucking Betsy in and kissing her goodnight or whatever it was parents did when putting their children to bed. She didn't need his help for that part.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jackie said softly a few minutes later, joining Hyde in the hallway. "I love you, Bets."

"Love you too, Auntie Jackie," Betsy's sleepy voice replied.

And with that, Jackie closed the door. Yes! Finally! She could relish in the peace and quiet!

"I'm telling Kelso you let his daughter stay up until three AM."

"I don't care what you tell him," Jackie shrugged, pushing past Hyde as she made her way to the living room. "I'm killing him as soon as he and Brooke come home. They left me alone all night with that holy terror of a God-daughter!"

"Are you referring to the 'holy terror' that showed up at my record store with no adult supervision? Because, you know, I could probably have you arrested for child neglect. There's got to be some law against a six year old walking so far in the middle of the night."

"Look, I'm not the one who let her escape. We went to visit Eric and Donna tonight and Eric let her take off while they were playing Hide and Seek."

Feeling drained from her baby-sitting experience, Jackie fell onto the couch. It felt good to finally rest her feet. There wasn't any time to sit down and relax when chasing a six year old around.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she inquired, suddenly remembering that as helpful as Hyde was with the bedtime ritual, he wasn't supposed to be in Michael's apartment. "Were you worried I might lose Betsy again or something? How did you know I was even still baby-sitting?"

"Well, when I stopped by your house and noticed you weren't in your room, I figured you must still be watching Betsy."

Jackie studied Hyde's face for several long moments. "You were really at my house tonight?"

"Of course not. I have a hidden camera in your bedroom."

Unsure which story to believe or if either of them were true at all, Jackie knew one thing: something big was going on with Steven. Why else would he show up at Michael's apartment at this time of night? And why hadn't he left yet? There was an unwritten law between the two of them banning any one-on-one confrontations, or, at the very least, to avoid them as much as possible.

Sitting up straighter, feeling like she was in trouble for something and was about to face her parents' wrath, Jackie locked eyes with Steven. Crap…He had his sunglasses on. He didn't want her to know what he was really thinking about.

"So, uh…" He paused, taking a seat in the chair next to the couch. "Betsy told me something pretty interesting when I saw her earlier."

_'Oh, no!' _Jackie thought, trying to keep her face composed as a million different fears ran through her mind. _'What could Betsy possibly have said that made him want to talk to me?'_

"Did she?" she pressed, trying to get Steven to continue. "What did she tell you?"

A long pause followed her question.

"This is going to sound totally stupid," Hyde finally spoke up. "I'm only repeating what Betsy said…But she seems to think that…You know…You might be…having a baby."

Jackie felt her jaw drop. How did Betsy know?! Had she overheard Jackie when she was gossiping with Donna? Oh, gosh, how much had she heard? How much did she tell Steven?

This was all happening so fast. First she confided in Brooke, then Donna, and now she was supposed to tell Steven too, all in the same night? Wasn't the fact that she was pregnant scary enough without all the added stress of telling everyone?

Besides, she hadn't been planning on telling Steven, not this early on anyway. She was only a few months into the pregnancy. There was still a chance – although it grew smaller with every passing day – that she could lose the baby. Why should she tell Steven about something that might turn out to not even be a problem? The doctor said a lot of girls waited before telling everyone they were having a baby just in case something happened. Maybe Jackie would be one of the lucky girls who didn't make it through the nine month period.

Hyde was waiting for a response. Jackie could feel his gaze on her and she knew she had to say something. What should she say? 'Yes, Betsy was right: I am having a baby and you're the father'? 'Betsy is so cute sometimes, isn't she?'? 'I can't believe you think I'm pregnant, Steven!'? Which response was the one that would keep her semi-safe? Which one would keep Steven as a friend instead of chasing him away?

"You know, you should probably leave before Michael shows up," she said, jumping off the couch and reaching for Steven's arm. "He didn't say anything about guests being allowed over here and I really don't want to lose my baby-sitting rights, so-,"

"Jackie," Hyde protested. "I just told you that Betsy said you were pregnant and all you have to say is that you want me to leave?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me if she was lying!"

Jackie flinched. It wasn't often that Steven shouted at her. She hated when he did it. It made her feel like she was Betsy's age, just a little girl who had done something wrong and now had to face the consequences of her actions. Needless to say, his shouting made her want to tell him the truth even less than she'd already wanted to.

"Well?" he demanded, waiting for her answer. "Was Betsy telling the truth or what?"

"I – I don't think you want to know the answer, Steven."

He was quiet as he gave her words a chance to sink in. Slowly, he rose to his feet. Jackie swallowed, wondering what was going to happen next. Was he going to scream again? Would he leave without saying another word? Would this be the last time she ever saw Steven Hyde?

She was surprised when he took her hands in his, pulling on them gently.

"Jackie," he said firmly. "Am I the father?"

She could lie. She could let Steven off the hook and tell him that he had nothing to worry about; the baby belonged to someone else. However, feeling his hands on hers, remembering how good it felt to twine their fingers together, how magical it felt every time his lips conquered hers…She couldn't lie to him. Other boys she could lie to easily, but not Steven.

"What Betsy told you is true, Steven: I am carrying your child."

Hyde met her gaze for a total of two seconds. She tried to figure out what was going through his mind, but it was so hard when he hid behind those stupid sunglasses! She had no idea if he was angry or upset or happy – well, she had a feeling 'happy' wasn't the right emotion.

She got her answer when Steven dropped her hands and turned toward the door.

"Hey!" she called after him. "Where are you going?"

"What do you care?"

Jackie ran as fast as she could, stepping in front of the door just before Hyde reached it. He glared down at her.

"That's what you're going to do?" she asked him. "I just told you I'm having your baby, and you're choosing to walk away?"

"What other choice do I have?"

"Um, I don't know…Maybe you could stay with me?"

"That would be letting the man win."

Now Jackie was totally lost. What did 'the man' have to do with whether or not Steven stuck by her side?

"Look, I know exactly what you're trying to do here," Hyde expanded, noticing Jackie's blank stare. "You purposely got pregnant as another one of your little tricks to get us back together. You know, like when you promised you wouldn't go to Chicago if I said I'd marry you someday? This is just like that, Jackie. You're using this baby to trap me."

"What? Steven, you have it all wrong-,"

"Whatever," he cut her off. "I don't want anything to do with you or this baby, Jackie. Leave me out of the picture."

She always knew that once Steven knew the truth, he could reject her, deciding he wanted nothing to do with the baby. Of course, she didn't think he'd actually do that. She believed he would come through just like Michael did for Brooke six years ago. Steven was a much better person than Michael; he had to know what the right thing to do was.

And yet, he was still trying to get to the door so he could leave her behind.

"If you walk through that door," Jackie warned, grasping at straws now. She was going to use any excuse she had, anything that had even the slightest chance of changing Steven's mind. "Just remember that you're no better than Michael was when he decided to let Brooke raise Betsy on her own. Do you really want your own child to grow up without a father?"

Without saying another word, Steven placed a hand on either of Jackie's shoulders, easily moving her out of the way. Without even turning around to look at her again, he walked into the hall. Desperate now, knowing he was about to walk out of her life forever, Jackie ran after him. She could feel the tears swelling in her eyes but she pressed on, chasing his retreating form. She had to stop him. There had to be something she could say that would convince him staying was worth it.

"Steven!" she cried out, her voice near the hysterical point. "Please don't make me go through this alone. I can't do it without you!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before getting knocked up."

The last thing Hyde heard from Jackie was a giant sob. He ignored it as he left the apartment complex, heading straight for the parking lot.

Jackie didn't know it, but a few blocks away, Hyde's car rolled to a stop. He too had a few tears to wipe from his eyes. He considered going back to Jackie and promising to stay by her side…but he couldn't do it. Why should her actions be rewarded? The pregnancy was nothing but a stupid ploy and he wasn't going to let her win. He had too much pride for that.

His stupid pride always got in the way when it came to Jackie Burkhart.


	4. Don't Stay With Me Tonight

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading them. Knowing that there are people out there who are actually reading this and want me to keep posting - gah! It's such an amazing feeling!**

**I know I'm skipping a lot of time in Jackie's pregnancy, but this was just a quick story I threw together in the first place. It's hard for me to stay in-character because I'm so different than all the characters are. It's harder for me to get inside their heads since I never do half the things they do. But anyway, the story focuses more on the relationship between Jackie and Hyde than anything else. I just wanted to give them a better ending than the writers of the show gave them.**

**So...Review me?**

* * *

Tuesday December 24, 1985

8:00 AM

The Foreman's Kitchen

Chapter Four

Don't Stay With Me Tonight

Hyde groggily made his way to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He could smell the food long before he could see it and his mouth almost started watering. Mrs. Foreman knew how to make some pretty great food, especially on the holidays.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Mrs. Foreman greeted cheerfully as Hyde took his seat at the table. She placed a wet kiss on his cheek. "Have some waffles!"

"Cool," Hyde replied, grinning as Eric's mom shoveled a stack of waffles on his plate.

"You're feeding him too much, Kitty," Red complained. "That boy is going to eat us out of house and home!"

"Oh, he is not!" Mrs. Foreman disagreed. "He's a growing boy, Red! If I don't feed him, he might starve!"

"You're paying for your own food from now on," Red told Hyde. "When you learn how to eat smaller portions like your friend over there, I'll pay for your meals again."

"My friend?" Hyde repeated slowly.

Cautiously, he turned his head to the seat beside his, the one that was always empty now that Eric and Laurie were both living on their own. Maybe it was just Kelso seeking out a safe refuge after having a spat with Brooke. Perhaps Fez ran out of candy and wanted to ask Hyde if he could borrow a few bucks so he could buy more. If he was lucky, Eric and Donna were having marriage problems and Donna dropped by to announce she was sick of her husband and wanted to try something new, something like spicing up her sex life by doing it with Hyde.

Dark hair messily brushed into a ponytail, no make-up on her face, and downcast eyes as she avoided Hyde's gaze, Jackie ruined his hopes of finding one of his true friends. She had a plate in front of her, just like Hyde did. She was also wearing a pair of pajamas, just like Hyde was. If he didn't know any better, he would say she had spent the night.

Slowly, the young male rose to his feet. "Mrs. Foreman…What is she doing here?"

"Well, she's eating breakfast in her new home!" Kitty replied, laughing as she placed her hands on Jackie's shoulders. The brunette's face flushed as she tried burying her head in her hands. "Red and I invited her to move in!"

Hyde's gaze zeroed in on his ex-girlfriend.

"Basement."

"Steven, I know you're upset, but-," Jackie spoke quickly, not budging from her chair.

"Now."

This time, the girl knew better than to fight back. Setting her fork down so hard that it rang against the plate, she marched out of the kitchen. Mrs. Foreman watched the scene, unsure if she should reach out to comfort the girl or ask Steven what he was thinking, yelling at her like that.

"Hey," Red said, grabbing Hyde's arm as he turned to follow Jackie. "You be nice to that girl, Steven. She's the only one of your stupid friends I actually like."

Usually, Hyde listened to his foster-dad when it came to advice. Red Foreman knew a lot about life and didn't mind sharing what he knew if someone was willing to listen.

One thing Red didn't know about though was the situation between Jackie and Hyde. He couldn't help Hyde out if he had no idea what was really going on.

This time, he would have to listen to his own heart.

* * *

By the time Hyde finally joined Jackie in the basement, she had managed to clean up a little. She was still wearing her pajamas but he couldn't blame her for not getting dressed. He could only guess how hard it was for Jackie Burkhart, the fashion expert, to find anything in her closet now that her stomach was showing. Her hair was styled though and her make-up had been applied. Not that any of that mattered. A pretty Jackie used to equal a happy Hyde.

That equation was proven wrong six years ago.

As soon as Jackie heard Hyde's footsteps on the stairs, she launched into her story. "I know what you're thinking and trust me, it's not true. I didn't ask Mr. and Mrs. Foreman to let me stay here because I wanted to corner you into being there for your child. They offered to take me in because my parents-,"

"I don't want to hear your little sob story, alright?" Hyde cut her off. "Quite frankly, I don't care about your life anymore. I'm not your boyfriend, you're not my girlfriend, and we are never getting back together."

"This isn't about us getting back together! Steven, listen to me, please! My parents found out about the baby and-,"

"What did I just tell you, Jackie? Man, don't you ever listen to anyone?" He spoke slowly and clearly this time, wanting to make sure she understood him. "I…Do…NOT…care…about…your…personal…life!"

That time, Jackie got the message. She nodded her head instead of trying to speak, letting Hyde know she was finally hearing him.

"Alright," she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Alright. I'll just…do my best to stay out of your way. I won't eat meals with you or come down here when I know you're hanging out-,"

"No," Hyde interrupted. "That's not good enough, Jackie. If we're in the same house, we're going to run into each other. It's inevitable."

"What do you want me to do, Steven?" Jackie practically screeched. "I'm such a horrible person that you would rather have me out on the streets than living in the same house as you?!"

Silence was her only answer.

"Oh, my gosh…That is what you want, isn't it?"

Jackie had to get out of the Basement. She felt tears building and quickly rubbed her eyes, trying to hold them off as long as she could. Steven Hyde, the man she once gave her heart to, the man who was the father of the tiny baby growing inside her, thought she was repulsive. She really shouldn't be so surprised. He had made it perfectly clear when he left three months ago that he never wanted to see her again. Why did she think he would be okay with her moving in with the Foreman's?

"Mr. and Mrs. Foreman took you in years ago. This is your home and I had no right to intrude on you like this," Jackie said into her palm, pushing past Hyde as she ran up the stairs. "I'll just…Let me grab my suitcase and then I'll be out of your hair."

"Good!" Hyde called to her retreating form. "I'm glad you see things my way!"

As he sat in his favorite chair, Hyde noticed a bitter taste in his mouth.

_'Darn it!' _he thought, slamming his fist against his knee. He knew that bitter taste anywhere: it was the one that always showed up after he had a bad conversation with someone, a conversation that he was usually wrong during.

He was doing the right thing in asking Jackie to leave the Foreman's. Getting pregnant wasn't good enough? Now she needed to impose on him at home, too? If he allowed her to stay, even if she did keep her promise to do her best to never run into him, she would still be winning the fight. Even though the two of them wouldn't technically be a couple, she would be living in the same house, which was almost the same thing. He wasn't going to give her that satisfaction.

Hyde was doing the right thing by forcing Jackie to leave…

And even if he wasn't, it was too late to change his mind now.

* * *

"Where's Jackie?"

Mr. and Mrs. Foreman were in the living room, Red sitting in his favorite chair while his wife stood by the Christmas tree. All the ornaments were sitting around in boxes, waiting to be hung. However, Mrs. Foreman refused to start until Jackie joined in with the festive activities.

"What do you mean, 'where's Jackie'?" Red asked, lowering the newspaper so he could see his wife's face. "She's not upstairs?"

"If she was upstairs, would I have asked you where she is?" Kitty responded.

"I wonder where she would go," Red said slowly. "You didn't have anything to do with her leaving, did you?"

Hyde could feel two sets of eyes locking on him. He refused to meet either pair, staring at the tree like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"She had other places to be tonight. And every night after this one."

Red threw down the paper, muttering something about kicking his foot up certain someone's back end. "I thought I told you to be nice to her, Steven! What part of scaring her into leaving sounded nice to you?"

"Did she say where she was going?" Kitty asked, running to the phone. "Oh, I hope she found someone else to stay with. It's been snowing for hours. It's the biggest snowstorm to ever hit Wisconsin! I'd hate to think she was out there freezing somewhere!"

"Why would she need someone to stay with?" Hyde scoffed. "She has a house to return to, doesn't she?"

"Not at the moment," Kitty told him. "It turns out her parents were pretty upset when she told them she was having a baby. It sounds like they spent three hours yelling at each other before they came up with a proper punishment: kicking her out of the house and cutting off her money supply." She pressed her finger to her lips, warning the two boys to be quiet. "I'm going to call Eric and Donna. Maybe Jackie is with them."

So, this wasn't just another one of Jackie's evil schemes to pressure him into something. She wasn't trying to turn him into a better father or anything. She really needed a place to stay.

And he drove her out of the one house more welcoming than any other house in all of Point Place.

"Crap," he exclaimed, climbing to his feet. "I, uh, have to go to the library."

"The library? You don't have time for reading!" Red informed him. "Go fix things with Jackie before it's too late!"

This time, Hyde planned on taking Mr. Foreman's advice.

* * *

Mrs. Foreman was right: it had been snowing most of the afternoon. Hyde shivered as he slipped through the sliding glass door, wishing he'd remembered to grab a coat before coming outside. He thought about Jackie and how cold she must be if she was along the street somewhere. Could the baby get hurt if the mother got too cold? Would Jackie still be healthy after spending so many hours in the cold temperature?

Rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them, Hyde stared down the street. Which way should he try first? If he was Jackie (wasn't that a scary thought?), which direction would he run?

"Are you l-l-looking for m-m-m-me?"

The tiny voice came from below. Hyde turned his attention to the ground, wondering what the heck was going on.

"Well…You didn't make it very far, did you?"

There was Jackie, curled into a tight ball on the ground, sitting between the basketball hoop and garage. Her entire face was a light shade of blue and for a moment, Hyde thought maybe his friend had turned into a blueberry. However, as realization hit him, he knew the real reason for her color change.

Kneeling down beside her, Hyde gently brushed the snow from Jackie's hair. He tried not to notice the crinkling sound it made as he ran his fingers through the frozen strands. If she yelled at him every day for the rest of his life about how it was his fault her hair was ruined, it still wouldn't make up for him kicking her to the curb.

"Can you stand up?" he asked the nearly delirious girl.

"I-I don't want t-t-to stand," Jackie told him, turning her face away from his, burying it in her chest.

"You have to stand," Hyde told her. "Come on, Jackie. Man…you're going to freeze to death if you stay out here much longer!"

"What-What do you c-c-care? Y-Y-you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I could never hate you, Jackie. We're friends, remember? What I said earlier today…I didn't really mean it. I was just messing around. Can't you take a joke?"

He let off a fake laugh, begging Jackie to believe it. She waved her brittle hand in the air, obviously trying to swat at him.

"L-Leave me a-a-a-alone."

"Sorry, doll," Hyde muttered, "But that's not going to happen."

Making sure he had his hands firmly in place, Hyde lifted Jackie into the air. Her body felt like an ice cube against his! He rushed toward the house, shouting all the while.

"Mrs. Foreman, Mrs. Foreman! Jackie needs help!"

In no time at all, Mrs. Foreman flew into nurse mode. She threw Jackie in front of the stove, even though Red muttered something about wasting energy. Then, she marched from the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with three thick blankets. She wrapped all of them around Jackie, ordering Hyde to help her since the blankets were too big, bulky, and heavy for one person to manage.

Within an hour, Jackie's color started to return.

"Are you warm enough, dear?" Kitty asked for the millionth time, placing her hand on Jackie's forehead.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Foreman," Jackie assured her, smiling softly. "You can stop fussing over me now. You've done too much for me already."

Hyde and Kitty knew Jackie was lying. She loved being fussed over no matter what the occasion was.

"Well, you better get used to it because I love fussing over the people I love," Kitty said. "I'm going to whip you up a cup of hot chocolate!"

"Oh, you don't have to-,"

Jackie was too late. Mrs. Foreman was already pulling out the ingredients, busying her hands with the work.

While Kitty kept busy, Jackie focused on her blankets, pulling them tighter when they started to fall off her shoulders. She was still cold, but she was definitely beginning to thaw. She'd been conscience enough to know Steven was the one who found her outside, although that was all she could remember. Whatever they'd said to each other hadn't registered in her almost-frozen mind. What, exactly, changed his mind about her leaving? Hadn't he told her she wasn't allowed to stay with the Foreman's? Why did he bring her back if he didn't want her there?

"You should have seen Steven's face when he found you," Mrs. Foreman spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the kitchen. "He was so worried, Jackie."

"Really?" Jackie asked, her devious little eyes flying to Steven.

"I wasn't worried about you," he clarified. "I was worried about the baby whom you could have killed with that stupid stunt!"

"Steven!" Kitty chastised. "That is not how you speak to lady friends! Especially lady friends carrying unborn children!"

"No," Jackie said quickly, nodding her head. "It's alright, Mrs. Foreman. Steven is right. I do need to learn how to take better care of myself."

"Well, who better to teach you that than a nurse?" Kitty laughed.

A mug of hot chocolate was tossed into Jackie's hands. She gawked at it, surprised to find whipped cream spilling over the top of the cup. She could feel the warmth radiating in her hands before taking one sip.

"Thanks, Mrs. Foreman. For everything."

Kitty returned Jackie's smile, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "Don't mention it, dear."

She had done everything she could do. Jackie was finally beginning to warm up, she had permission to stay at the house as long as she needed to, and now, Kitty had to finish decorating the tree so it would be ready for the Christmas party taking place in her living room in less than twenty-four hours.

"Steven, maybe you could stay in here a little bit longer and keep an eye on Jackie? You know, just to make sure she really is alright," she suggested before turning to her husband. "Red, I need your help with the tree."

"I didn't help with the tree when the kids were younger and I'm not doing it this year, either," Red stated proudly.

"You'll help me with the tree if I say you'll help me with the tree, Red Foreman! Now get in that living room before I kick you in the place you're always threatening to kick people!"

Glaring at Steven as though everything was his fault, Red headed to the living room with Kitty in tow.

Hyde and Jackie were alone for the first time since their huge fight at Kelso's apartment.

"You don't have to stick around," Jackie explained when a few minutes passed without any conversation. "I'm not even the tiniest bit cold now, which is really cool because-," She stopped talking, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Sorry. I forgot you don't want to know anything about my life."

"Jackie, come on. When I said that, I had no idea your parents had just kicked you out of the house. Why didn't you say something before you left?"

Jackie shrugged, keeping her eyes locked on the mug between her fingers. Hyde had seen her after her mom left and when her father was thrown in jail. She was so broken. Back then, he had no idea how to comfort her.

Tonight, he knew even less what to do. This time, it wasn't jail or a drunken mother separating Jackie from her parents. It was a baby, his baby, which forced the wedge between them. In a huge way, it was his fault Jackie could never return to her house again.

He turned his back on her. Her parents kicked her out. Mr. and Mrs. Foreman opened their arms and Hyde went and ruined that for her, too. Was there any part of her life he hadn't tried putting a knife through yet?

Hyde sighed loudly, wishing he could slam his head against the table until everything around him disappeared. He didn't want to think about Jackie, their relationship, or the baby that would enter the world in less than nine months. He didn't want to think about their last fight. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were when they were care-free teenagers, back when babies were nothing but a far-off dream.

He wasn't that crazy teenager anymore. He was an adult, an adult who would soon be a father. It was time for him to grow up and start acting his age.

"Jackie," he said softly, turning his body in her direction and spreading his arms wide. "Come here."

The younger girl shook her head quickly, refusing to come any closer. Hyde rolled his eyes. Apparently, they were going to do this the hard way.

"Get over here, now!" he ordered, taking a deep breath before adding another word to his sentence. "Please."

Watching him with wide eyes like she was afraid he would change his mind at any given moment, Jackie inched her way toward him, dragging her feet along the tile. Hyde waited patiently. It was going to be a long time before either of them fully trusted the other. Tonight, he just wanted to take a few steps in the right direction.

When she was finally close enough for him to reach her, Hyde grabbed Jackie's wrist, pulling her the rest of the way. She fell into his lap, her balance unstable with the extra weight she'd put on.

"Ouch!" Hyde cried in fake agony. "Man, Jackie! How much do you weigh now? Three hundred pounds?"

"That's it," Jackie told him, struggling to climb off her ex. "I'm going to help Mr. and Mrs. Foreman."

"I was kidding!" Hyde told her, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her from moving. "We can hang out here for a while. It's cool."

Hyde was actually surprised by how light Jackie was. He thought there was nothing to her body back when they were dating, but now, even with a protruding belly and several blankets wrapped around her, she felt as light as a feather. Sure, it was hard to wrap his arms around her due to the thickness of the blankets, but other than that, nothing had really changed.

Pulling the blankets tighter to her form, Jackie refused to make herself comfortable. She was on Hyde's lap, but she was simply sitting there like a rock. Her arm didn't fly around the back of his neck. Her head didn't snuggle into his chest. She just sat, staring at the wall.

"We have a few things to discuss if we plan on living in the same house," Hyde started when Jackie, for perhaps the first time in her life, didn't say a word. "First of all-,"

"Look, I already know what you're going to say, Steven," Jackie interrupted. "You don't mind if I stay here, but the only reason you don't care is because you feel sorry for me since I have nowhere else to go. I'm only welcome to stay until I get back on my feet. The second I can afford to move out, you want me gone. I'll stay in my room at meal times so you don't have to see me. If I happen to see you in the living room, kitchen, or Basement, I'll turn around and leave. Am I missing anything?"

"Jackie, I-,"

"Oh, and I won't speak to you unless otherwise instructed," she pressed on, ignoring Hyde. "You won't have to hear any sad little sob stories from me! You won't even have to worry about seeing me after the baby comes. I'll drop it off on the doorstep when it's your turn to spend time with it and run away before you see me. You'll be living the perfect Jackie-free life you've always wanted!"

"I don't want a Jackie-free life!"

His shout either scared Jackie into silence or told her it was time to shut up. Either way, it did its job. She closed her pie hole abruptly.

"Listen…I know I haven't been the nicest guy lately, alright? What do you expect, Jackie? What was I supposed to do when you told me you were pregnant?"

"You weren't supposed to tell me you wanted nothing to do with me or the baby."

"I didn't want to see you…or the baby…back then," Hyde told her. "Jackie, you have to believe me. These past three months have been unbearable. All I do is think about you and what's going to happen to the baby. Am I having a son or a daughter? Is he or she going to be living here in Point Place? What are they going to think when they find out their father never wanted anything to do with them?"

"Oh, so now that I almost froze to death, you suddenly care about the baby?" Jackie demanded, glaring down at the curly haired boy. "Maybe it's too late for that, Steven. Maybe I've had some time to think about things since you've left and I've decided I don't want you to see the baby because I don't want him or her to grow up to be just as undependable as you are!"

"Undependable?" Hyde echoed, the word tasting bitter on his tongue. "How can you say that about me, Jackie? I've always been around whenever you needed me. Darn it, I was even going to marry you! Would an undependable guy go out a buy a ring, Jackie? Would he?!"

"You accused me of getting pregnant on purpose!"

"What was so wrong with that accusation? You slept with Kelso and who knows how many other guys for years. How come you didn't get pregnant with any of them? Why am I unlucky guy?"

"You're so unlucky because I wasn't on the pill when we did it!"

There it was: the truth. All these months of accusing Jackie of her pregnancy being nothing but a ploy to bring them back together were worthless. Hyde had been wrong. He knew it now as he watched the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, saw the way she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. It really was an accidental pregnancy.

"When we were in high school," Jackie started explaining, her voice shaking, "And I told my parents Donna went on the pill, they agreed that it was a good idea for me to start taking it, too. I was never good at remembering to take it and I haven't exactly dated very much over the past few years…I decided it wasn't worth it anymore."

Hyde felt like the biggest jerk to ever walk on the face of the planet.

"I almost killed it, you know." Jackie's voice was barely above a whisper. "Donna thought I was stupid for getting knocked up, you didn't want anything to do with me…I almost went through with an abortion."

Hyde froze. "What made you change your mind?"

"I don't know…" Jackie shrugged. "I guess I just realized that it wasn't fair. Just because I made a stupid mistake and got pregnant earlier than I wanted to doesn't mean the baby should have to pay the price for my actions, you know? Who am I to take away someone's life so I don't have to suffer?"

"I would never use pregnancy to get someone to fall in love with me," she continued. "You think I want to have a baby right now, Steven? You think I want to spend the rest of my life changing diapers and working sucky jobs so I can afford to feed a child? I'm supposed to be taking my final semester of college classes right now, but I had to drop out. Who knows if I'll ever go back? Not to mention how horrible my body looks. I used to be one of the best looking girls in Point Place. Now I'm nothing but a fat cow."

"Hey," Hyde said, gently placing his fingers on Jackie's chin, forcing her to look at him. "If anybody calls you a fat cow, you come find me, alright? I'll make sure they pay for it."

For the first time all night, Jackie smiled. Hyde returned it. Now they were getting somewhere.

"I don't want to have a baby right now, either," Hyde confessed. "The record store is doing well at the moment, but I know how businesses work. One month I could be doing fine and the next, I might be thousands of dollars in debt. What if something happens and I'm not able to support my own kid?"

"Tell me about it," Jackie replied, rolling her eyes. "Since my dad told me I wasn't getting any more of his money, I've been trying to find a job. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire a five-month pregnant employee. I only stopped by here in the first place because I wanted to ask Mrs. Foreman if she'd be willing to baby-sit once the baby was born so I could work. I didn't know she and Mr. Foreman were going to invite me to stay. Apparently they think it's important for a child to spend time with its mother, especially during the first few months after birth."

"Unlike me, Mrs. Foreman likes listening to your sob stories," Hyde grinned. "She can't stand parents who kick their own children out of the house. Remember when Fez's foster parents kicked him out? She invited him to live here without asking Red! Man, was he pissed when he found out."

"He wasn't pissed when I moved in," Jackie commented. "Actually, he wasn't pissed when you moved in either, was he?"

"Why would he be mad about us? We're the good looking ones out of the gang, remember?"

It felt good to talk to Jackie again. Hyde hated to admit it, but he had missed her. Quite a lot, actually. Pregnant or not, she was still Jackie, the annoying little girl who relied on her looks more than her personality. Her voice was hard to get used to at first, but it was also easy to miss when it wasn't around to tell him what to do.

"I take back everything I said earlier. You know, the stuff about how I'd rather have you on the streets than in the same house as me," Hyde said. "The Foreman's are great and they're going to help you out along the way. Actually, it might be better if you stay here even after the baby is born. Mrs. Foreman knows a lot more about babies than either of us do. Maybe she'd teach us a thing or two if we stick around after the birth."

"Do you really mean that, Steven? You don't mind if I stay here?" Jackie pressed on, adding, "It won't be forever. I want to be a better mother to this baby than my mom ever was to me and I can't do that if I rely on other people, like Mr. and Mrs. Foreman, my entire life. I need to get out there and learn how to take care of myself."

"Stay as long as you want to," Hyde shrugged. "Your being here is cool with me. I don't want the baby growing up without a father and ending up like me."

Jackie was so happy, she wanted to wrap her arms around Steven's neck and kiss him like she would have done in the olden days. He didn't find her repulsive, even though she was the size of an elephant! She had a place to live and a man who wanted to be a part of her baby's life. Things couldn't have been more perfect.

"So…are we cool?" Hyde asked. "We're both going to live here and see where things go?"

"See where things go?" Jackie repeated. Slowly, a grin started to form on her lips. "Wait, are you saying-,"

"-That we should be friends for the sake of the baby?" Hyde finished her sentence. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. And by friends, I mean friends, Jackie. I don't want you running around telling everyone we're in love."

"Deal!" Jackie shouted, hugging Hyde tightly. "I won't tell anyone we're in love…unless it happens to be true."

"No! Bad Jackie! Don't ruin the moment by suggesting something so evil!"

"Relax," Jackie chided. "I'm just messing with you, Steven. I won't tell anyone we're anything more than friends."

Hyde stared at her for several moments.

"I don't believe you," he stated. "I want you to promise you won't tell anyone we're together."

"Steven, I really don't think this is necessary-,"

"Repeat after me," he ordered. "I, Jackie Burkhart…"

She stubbornly folded her arms over her chest. If she was going to make this promise, she was doing it on her terms.

"Ahem," Hyde coughed, pretending to clear his throat. "I, Jackie Burkhart…"

"I, Jackie Burkhart," the brunette repeated, but not without rolling her eyes.

"Promise…"

"Promise."

"To keep my pie hole shut regarding my relationship with Steven Hyde."

Instead of repeating after him, Jackie slugged Hyde's shoulder. He laughed before tapping her bottom, signaling it was time to get up.

"Come on," he said, reaching for her hand. "Let's go decorate a Christmas tree."


End file.
